Why were the men mentioned in 1 Samuel 21:5 considered holy since they had been kept from women?
1 Samuel 21:5
NKJV - 5 Then David answered the priest, and said to him, "Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.
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Asked May 14 2017
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Crystal Hollingsworth
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Tim Maas
Leviticus 15:18 had specified that consummated sexual relations (even within marriage) caused ceremonial uncleanness for both the man and the woman until the evening of that day.
Ahimelech imposed the restriction in 1 Samuel 21:4 because the only bread that he had available to provide to David and his men for food had been previously consecrated to God's service and use (although it was given to the priests for their food once fresh bread had been prepared for an offering to replace it). David's men would therefore have had to have been ceremonially clean to eat it.
("Holy" as used in the verse does not imply sinlessness, but ceremonial cleanness.)
Jack Gutknecht
Great question, Crystal Hollingsworth! Adding to what Tim said about Leviticus 15:18, I think that "the vessels," is referring to their bodies, for of them the question was, 1 Samuel 21:4; and having now said that women had been kept from them, he infers that therefore their bodies were holy, their members were undefiled. Thus the word vessel is used 1 Thessalonians 4:4, and in other authors, both Greek and Latin. See the Benson Commentary and also Barnes' Notes on the Bible.
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